SAO PAULO: Brazil’s 2023/24 coffee harvest has reached 66% of the total area by July 18, slightly below the historical pace for this time of the year, according to an estimate released on Friday by consultancy Safras & Mercado.

As a comparison, the consultancy said that the five-year average for the period is 71%. The harvest, however, is ahead of the pace seen at this time in 2022, when it was at 57%.

Safras estimated that around 83% of robusta coffee fields have been harvested, compared with 83% at this time last year, and below the 89% five-year average for the period. Meanwhile, the arabica coffee harvest has reached 58%, just above 57% this time last year, but below the 63% five-year average.

Brazil had some rains earlier this month, which tend to reduce the harvesting and drying work, but Safras said that operations regained rhythm during the last week. The consultancy said the overall profile of the crop remains positive both in terms of agricultural yields as regarding quality.